PNP. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine National Police (PNP) Chaplain Service is stepping up the “spiritual nourishment” of its police force, giving emphasis to the Church’s role in their law enforcement duties.
“Faith plays a factor in our policemen’s jobs. The contribution of the Church… has an impact on how they perform their mandate,” Rev. Fr. Lucio Rosaroso, the PNP Headquarters base chaplain, told the Inquirer by phone.
Rosaroso is also the parish priest of St. Joseph Church at the PNP Headquarters in Camp Crame.
He said the Chaplain Service was devising programs for the spiritual growth of PNP members because “as our front-liners, our policemen are busy with work and their lives, leaving little space and time for
reflection.”
The PNP Chaplain Service is set to hold nationwide “consultative meetings and dialogues” among different faith-based groups to emphasize that the police force works as one regardless of belief and religion.
Rosaroso, who holds the rank of a police superintendent, said that aside from the multifaith dialogue, the PNP Chaplain Service also plans to set up a partnership with parish priests, lay ministers and police chiefs.
He added that with only 29 police chaplains in 17 regional offices all over the country, the chaplain service needs help from parish priests to meet the spiritual needs of policemen.
“The police stations and precincts also belong to a parish so we would want the parish priests and the chiefs of police to have meetings or dialogues, or to simply just be able to talk about the spiritual needs of our men in uniform,” Rosaroso said.
According to him, the PNP leadership has also expressed its desire for the Chaplain Service to be “more proactive” in counseling policemen. He said that plans to conduct home visits for policemen and their families were in the pipeline.
Part of the chaplain’s ministry would also be to reach out to lawmen who have yet to find the courage to bare their sexual orientation.
Rosaroso said there was nothing wrong with being a homosexual or a lesbian because the bottom line was performing one’s duty well.
“We have a wholistic approach in addressing the spiritual needs of our police force. It’s spiritual, moral, and physical. It’s for their total development,” he added.